Introduction


Alice Childress

Alice Childress broke the rules for what was acceptable in young adult writing. Her most famous work, A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich, earned her significant praise…as well as a good deal of criticism. The book was included in a Supreme Court lawsuit over appropriate school reading for children because it depicts a 13-year-old boy’s struggle with heroin addiction. Written in multiple points of view and set in a poor urban environment, the novel was a far cry from the all-American wholesomeness of youth fiction like the works of Beverly Cleary. Childress may have stirred controversy with her writing, but in doing so, she told the story of a significant and underrepresented segment of the population of America.

Essential Facts

  1. Early in her life, it was acting—not writing—for which Childress was known. She worked briefly at the American Negro Theatre, which helped launch the careers of contemporaries like Sidney Poitier.
  2. Childress’ first play, Florence, was produced in 1950, marking an important early success for black female playwrights.
  3. Childress herself adapted A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich into a screenplay for the 1978 film version.
  4. In addition to her numerous literary accolades, Childress was the first female recipient of the Obie Award, the Off-Broadway equivalent of the Tony Award.
  5. In the mid-1990s, songwriter Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five fame) wrote a song called “Alice Childress.” But don’t go listening for any of Folds’ insights into the esteemed writer. Ironically enough, the song has nothing to do with Childress the author.